REVIEW: Sony A7R II–Canon, Nikon and Fujifilm should be very afraid as a new leader has emerged

Sony Alpha a7R II Mirrorless 42MP/4k Video Digital Camera

It’s rare for me to release two preview articles before doing a review, but given what this camera can do I felt it was worth it. If you haven’t seen those articles already, then please check them out first here:

• First Look: Sony A7R II–Holy $#!+
• Sony A7R II–Yes, This Is Game Changing Autofocus BUT …

After reading those articles you can see that I quickly fell in love with this camera. It’s high quality images and video are without question, the best available on the market today. In fact, there’s a lot of people coming up with interesting photographers excuses for getting this camera and/or switching camps.

Will I also jump camps too? Read on to find out!

Using the a7R Mark II

If you are familiar with Sony cameras then you’ll be right at home with the menu layout this camera offers. If you aren’t, then you’ll fantasize of punching the engineers who designed the menu system in the nose as it’s painful to find what you are looking for! Fortunately each iteration of Sony cameras seems to incorporate user feedback, so this means the feature you are looking for is likely there – it’s just challenging to find it!

f/4 @ 31mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 8000
ISO 8000 – straight out of the camera with no edits – impressive!!!
Try that with a D810 and you’ll be deleting that one in camera before it even gets to the computer!

One of my biggest complaints about Sony in the past is that they always chose horrible shutter speeds for Aperture priority which resulted in blurry pictures. To address this problem this camera offers an option to allow you to adjust from the default values to a faster (or slower if you prefer) shutter speed then what it would ordinarily choose. What this looks like in real world testing is that where it would historically use 1/60 sec, it will now use 1/125 sec (see above) which is important when using a high megapixel camera like this. More megapixels means faster shutter speeds are required to get a stable shot, so this coupled with excellent 5-way stabilization results in a large number of super sharp shots. These improvements alone are worth the upgrade from previous models based on my testing experience.

f/4 @ 24mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 3200
Eye AF can be brilliant as was the case here

I also wrote at length about the AF system – specifically the wonderful Eye AF feature – and I can say that yes this camera is very good. While it’s burst mode won’t keep up with many models with faster FPS, it does such a good job at getting sharp shots that spray and pray shooters may find this is all that is needed. The faster FPS will only get you a higher probability of capturing a specific action event (i.e., a basketball in the net) but this camera is likely to have more frames in focus – unless you are using a pro sports camera like the Nikon D4s (the best) or Canon 1D X (2nd best).

The rear LCD pivots which is nice, but I’d still rather it offer the same full rotation functionality that other models from other makers offer. Touch screen would also be nice, so that’s something I wouldn’t be surprised to see in a future model years down the road.

I will say that the wealth of features and the lack of documentation will mean that most people won’t really take advantage of all this camera has to offer. What’s more, many will find themselves overwhelmed with the choices and frustrated by the lack of information on what these features do. However, if you are the type that doesn’t read manuals and just picks up things and figures out how they work then there’s lots of great features to discover here. If you aren’t like that, then your screwed. ;-)

Customizable push buttons allow you to dial things in, but again it’s tough to figure how how to do this if you don’t know the system very well. Fortunately there’s a lot of fans of these cameras writing articles on some of the obscure features so generally the information is available on the web – just not from Sony – on how to program cool features to the programmable buttons. In fact, I discuss this in my autofocus article where I talk about Eye AF.

Simply put, this camera is a bit like using Microsoft Word or Excel. Odds are the thing you want it to do is there and there’s probably 5 ways to do it – the trick is just figuring out how! In fact, they’ve even tossed in a bunch of consumer features like NFC pairing and wireless file transfer.

Another great feature of this camera is the electronic viewfinder. It’s high resolution and works great when you are outside in the sun. Unlike older Sony models, it doesn’t feel fake either – what you see feels very much like an optical viewfinder even though its entirely digital. In fact, it was so good that I found myself preferring to use it over the rear LCD so I could use that rear panel to display my camera settings instead.

Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens

Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens

On a lesser camera, this lens would be great. However, on this super high resolution sensor this lens fell short by getting out resolved by the sensor. It also had focusing problems that couldn’t be corrected so I’ve got to give a strong recommendation AGAINST this lens.

Personally, if I owned this camera I’d probably fork up the money for the Zeiss Batis 85mm f/1.8 as my primary lens and figure out a good zoom down the road. However, I love this focal range as an every day lens so hopefully the focusing issues I experienced were isolated and/or could be fixed in a new firmware update.

As the photos here will show it’s not completely horrible, but I can easily tell that the sensor is capable of so much more. Yes, manually focusing helps but even the focus peeking algorithm seems to be off with this lens with the unit that I tested.

Real World Shots

Check out these two past articles first:

• First Look: Sony A7R II–Holy $#!+
• Sony A7R II–Yes, This Is Game Changing Autofocus BUT …

However, I can’t help but share more as this camera rarely fails to impress me.

Click here to see a complete gallery of test images taken for this review. You may view them along with this review, but you may not print, edit, upload or otherwise redistribute the images in any way. All images are copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

These are all 100% unprocessed shots taken from the in-camera JPEG. Click the photos to see the original file that came out of the camera in its full resolution. Most shots are using auto white balance and handheld (except where noted), but a few have had white balance adjusted to add warmth. Beyond this, everything else is set to the camera default settings.

Here’s some from that gallery along with my thoughts about them:

f/4 @ 25mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 5000
Nighttime at ISO 5000 and the noise is tolerable.
What really impressed me though was that it didn’t completely blow out the lights (outside the main beams) yet the detail in the grill shadow areas is still excellent

 

f/4 @ 26mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 2500
This is a shot that most cameras would render the brightest parts as white yet this sensor captures it almost as well as the human eye. Given that this is red, which is tough for any display format, I’m even more impressed!

f/4 @ 53mm for 1/800 sec at ISO 2500
Eye AF isn’t flawless because once you lose that big iris it gets confused and generally undesired results follow as is the case here where Kai’s eyes trip up the system

f/4 @ 36mm for 1/800 sec at ISO 2000
No AF system is flawless, and that’s definitely the case here where the AF system seems to have given up and just focused on the static background. This happened more than you’d see with dedicated pro sports bodies, but as much as I’d expect for a camera in this form factor. The Canon 5D Mark III and Nikon D750 both have the ability to be tuned to nail this shot 100% of the time so keep this in mind before ditching those models for a A7R Mark II!

f/5.6 @ 26mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 5000
Even at ISO 5000, the dynamic range and color are still totally usable and the background preserves the shadows very well but the sky is blown out (which is to be expected)

f/5.6 @ 70mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 160
100% crop of an unplanned shot of an insect that captured much more detail than I was expecting. Given a better lens, this probably would have been print worth even cropped this tightly.

f/5.6 @ 70mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 800
Red’s are probably the toughest for any camera to handle, but the A7R2 does a textbook job at handling the tonal range found here

f/9 @ 70mm for 1/160 sec at ISO 125
In another 100% crop, you can see detail that the naked eye would probably miss most of the time. Click this image to see the full shot and you think it is just a hole in the leaf. My eyes were fooled in real life but the sensor caught detail that I didn’t notice until I zoomed. The slight blurriness here was due to the wind

f/9 @ 27mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 125 (using this tripod)
I first did a shot with just the trees and was impressed with what I saw, but I wondered how the meter (a historically weak feature of Sony) could handle a big black object in the scene. The net result is that it did great! I also was pleased with the flair control of the 24-70, even though I hated that lens!

f/4 @ 70mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 100
The fun thing about shooting with this camera is that when you zoom in to 100% you discover pictures within your picture. Enjoy the condensation on this leaf when zooming in as well as the delicious bokeh when zoomed out

f/4 @ 70mm for 1/250 sec at ISO 100
This shot frustrated me with this lens partially due to it’s terrible minimum focus distance. However what really annoyed me here is that focus peeking and zooming still failed to give me the detail and sharpness I wanted on the water droplets on the foreground part of the flower.

Once again, I think given a better lens this would be a gorgeous snapshot of a flower

f/5.6 @ 70mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 125
Sorry, this is as close as I got to shooting wildlife – ha ha :-)

f/5 @ 70mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 125
Again, I found myself very impressed with the in-camera color and how well it rendered the range of reds in this leaf. Notice how the highlights on the top aren’t blown out and the shadows on the bottom are muddy. If you photograph nature, this is definitely the right camera for you.

f/5.6 @ 27mm for 1.25 sec at ISO 100 (using this tripod)
Landscape Photographers Rejoice!
f/5.6 is the sweet spot of this lens and the detail on the full-size image is impressive. I took shots at various apertures starting with this one here up to f/22 (see below) and felt all were keepers.

f/22 @ 27mm for 8 sec at ISO 100 (using this tripod)
Even with diffraction, I felt like f/22 shots were total keepers with this sensor

f/4 @ 34mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 800
As a new dad, no blog article this week would be complete without a shot of my daughter Ara.
Look at all that detail! ;-)

Click here to see a complete gallery of test images taken for this review.

A7RII vs A7II

Sony Alpha a7 II Mirrorless Digital Camera

For some people, especially those on a more modest budget,  it will probably make more sense to sacrifice 17 megapixels and some dynamic range to get the added benefit of better high ISO performance and faster burst mode performance. The A7 Mark II features many of the same features but with a lower resolution sensor.

I’ve reviewed the A7, but not the A7 Mark II. However, my good friend Douglas Dubler is an extremely well respected pro fashion photographer in New York with hundreds of magazine covers under his belt.

Despite his ability to have any camera on the market that he wants, Douglas has decided that he prefers the A7 Mark II over the A7R Mark II. Below are a couple edited shots he’s taken with his A7 Mark II. Of course he’s using high end Zeiss lenses that are going to make the most of any sensor, so don’t expect these results with the kit lens (or the lens I tested in this review):

Click to learn more about Douglas Dubler’s Indonesian Beauty
Sony A7II  at f/4 @ 1/60 sec using ISO 100 with a Zeiss Makro-Planar T* f/2 100mm (via Novoflex adapter) and retouched by Irfan Yonac
Used by permission and Copyright Douglas Dubler 3 – All Rights Reserved

Click to learn more about Douglas Dubler’s Indonesian Beauty II
This image was captured with a Sony A7II  at f/4 @ 1/30 sec using ISO 400 with a Zeiss Otus 85mm (via a Novoflex adapter) and retouched by Irfan Yonac
Used by permission and Copyright Douglas Dubler 3 – All Rights Reserved

These are internationally published and very successful images that lack nothing with the “lower” resolution A7 Mark II. This illustrates that 24 megapixels is still plenty enough resolution to wow most clients.

Given the results Douglas Dubler consistently gets (and posts to his Facebook page), it’s clear that with a good lens in the right hands the Sony A7II is sure to please even the most demanding pixel peeper.

This begs the question, does the average person really need to spend twice as much to get the extra 17 megapixels? For many, the answer is probably no.

Be sure to click the images here to learn the story behind these shots too – it’s a pretty fun read!

Please note that you may not print, edit, upload or otherwise redistribute or share the above images in any way. All images are copyright Douglas Dubler 3 – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

4k Video

I hate doing videos and could care less about the 4k video feature, but for some this will be a really big deal. Here’s a lame 4k test video I did just to show that is in fact doable at a real 4k 30fps:

You’ll need a 4k display like the NEC PA322UHD to actually watch that video in its true 4k format, but if you’ve got the hardware you’ll see that it does work as advertised – when you use the right memory card! I didn’t have the required SDXC memory card so I purchased one of these which worked fine during my testing:

SanDisk 64GB Extreme Pro UHS-I SDXC U3 Memory Card (Class 10)

With video a memory card either works or it doesn’t, so don’t feel the need to buy a faster SD card than the 95 mb/s SDXC card shown above as my real world testing hasn’t found any benefit of doing so. I do find Sandisk to be the most reliable, so I do think it’s worth the extra bucks to stick with a reliable brand over cheaper alternatives.

Personally I’ll use a iPhone 6s for my 4k video needs for video stabilization and face focus tracking, but if you want professional caliber results and you know what you are doing then this camera is sure to please.

What about the a7s Mark II vs the other a7’s?

Sony Alpha a7S II Mirrorless Digital Camera

If you are really into video as your primary activity, then the a7s makes more sense for you. This is the model that is optimized for the hardcore videographer where the a7R is optimized for the hard core photographer. The a7 hits that sweet spot in the middle that for the average user looking for the best value of a easy to use general purpose camera.

Bookshelf Test

f/8 @ 24mm for 13 sec at ISO 100
Click for full-size and see below for a 200% crop

When doing super high resolution testing I look for detail in the shoes and the pattern in the spine of the blue book on the bookshelf. You can see below that the texture does start to appear and the tiny details are present:

Cropped at 200% Zoom of the in-camera JPEG above

I suspect that a better lens would resolve this detail better, but this is still on par with the 5Ds/5DsR and D810.

High ISO Performance

f/4 @ 24mm for 1/400 sec at ISO 102,400

Yes, this camera can do ISO 102,400 as shown above which seems fine if you output is small images on the web. However, if you click the file to see the original you’ll see it’s pretty bad. My personal maximum ISO for this camera was ISO 12,800 (example), but I can say that to the naked eye the high ISO performance was an improvement (to my eyes) over the Canon 5Ds / 5DsR and Nikon D810 after ISO 1600.

The camera defaults to a maximum of 6400 and I think that’s a practical maximum for all but extreme cases, but if you need it is certainly very usable up to 12,800. In fact, you’ll notice some ISO 8000 shots in my real world shots section that are pretty impressive.

Click here to see a complete gallery of bookshelf images taken at various ISO’s and apertures for this review.

What’s there not to like?

Well the price for starters – at over $3000 at the time this was written, this is really price for serious photographers only. You do get what you pay for, but don’t forget you still need to buy lenses too so realistically give yourself a $5000 – $7000 USD starting budget if you decide to go this route (after you purchase the camera, lens and basic accessories).

The battery life was also pretty bad – generally I got about a half day of use before it died so I’d definitely recommend getting an extra battery and keeping it fully charged if you purchase this camera.

There is also the reality that while this camera is a smaller form factor – it isn’t really light. In fact, when handing it to others to take a picture you get that same “wow, this is heavy” reaction that you hand over a DSLR. So, if you decide to go this route don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll be “traveling light” because there are entry level DSLR’s and offerings by Fujifilm that will definitely be much lighter. The weight of this camera is put to good use with great features and stellar performance so if your real motivation is image quality then this camera or its sibling the A7 Mark II is sure to please.

I think the lens choice used for this review didn’t allow it to shine as well as it is capable of doing. If matched to better glass, I’d expect the A7R Mark II to come out ahead of both the Canon 5Ds and 5DsR as well as the Nikon D810. However, there in lies the reality – Canon and Nikon have a lot better lens offerings so I can’t advise anyone to switch from those platforms to Sony when you consider the big picture. If you are a hobbyist and will only be using one or two lenses, then it probably is ok, but if you are a pro who is going to be using the best glass and flashes then this probably isn’t the best platform for you in the long run.

Finally, my last complaint is that I’m not a fan of how Sony lays out its menus but they do offer enough customization that you can almost work around it once you have things dialed in. I hate them and curse them, but rarely did they prevent me from getting the shot. What’s more there’s enough cool features packed in like the support for apps and neat features like Zebra, Focus Peaking and Focus Magnification that make all of the menu options worth it.

Conclusion

While I’m very disappointed in the lens I used for this review, I’ve done enough camera reviews to know that this is a very special camera that will boggle the mind when paired with a proper lens. Douglas Dubler’s results with the a7 Mark II with good glass prove that, and this camera offers twice the resolution and a wider dynamic range.

At times during my review I loaded up my cart at B&H to order one for my personal use to replace my Fujifilm X series camera, but then my logical side kicked in. I’m happy with the performance I get with my Canon gear, my lens choices and the flash system. If I was a Nikon shooter, I’d feel the same way. However, I think if I was exclusively a Fujifilm shooter then I’d probably be switching camps, but I’m not so for now I’ll probably stick with what I have.

This is a fantastic camera that is a must upgrade for anyone on the Sony platform – even existing a7R shooters – as this body seems to address everything I didn’t like about its processor. It’s clear that Sony has listened to customer feedback and responded with what is arguably one of the best cameras on the market. It’s decision to add 4k video recording also makes it extremely compelling to videographers as well.

I do HIGHLY RECOMMEND this camera and do feel it is one of the best cameras I’ve ever tested. I also found its Eye AF feature to be worth the cost alone when photographing kids, so parents are sure to love this feature. The stabilization is also the best I’ve tested on a super high resolution camera, so the faster shutter speed requirements of the 5Ds/r and D810 don’t seem to be as applicable with this camera.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• First Look: Sony A7R II–Holy $#!+
• Sony A7R II–Yes, This Is Game Changing Autofocus BUT …
• Nikon D810 (includes SIGMA 50mm Art & Otus 55mm)
• Canon 5Ds
• Canon 5DsR
• Sony RX100 IV–The Best Point and Shoot Just Got Better
• Sony a3000
• Sony a6000 (includes 16-70mm lens)
• Sony a7 (includes Samyang lens)
• Sony a7R
• Sony DSC-RX1 (Full Frame Compact Camera)
• Sony DSC-RX10
• Sony RX100 III (Sony DSC-RX100 II vs RX100 I)
• Nikon D4s
• Nikon D750 - Yeah, you want this one!
• Fujifilm X-T1
• Fujifilm X100s
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with 12-40mm PRO
• Panasonic DMC-G7 (Features 4k Video)
• Ron’s Recommendations
• Discount Coupon Codes

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Sony A7R II–Yes, This Is Game Changing Autofocus BUT …

f/4 @ 38mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 640
Parents and grandparents will appreciate how impossible shots like this are to capture with any camera, much less one sporting 42 megapixels! The Eye Sensing AF system is simply brilliant even in cases like this where subjects quickly come into focus.

I’m a Canon 1D X owner who is used to using advanced AF systems and dialing the settings to get high accuracy AF, but I’ve also seen intelligent people completely fail with their settings and get nearly every shot out of focus. I gushed over the amazing AF performance of the Nikon D4s because it was more foolproof and it just got the shot right more times than any camera I’ve ever tested. However both of these super expensive professional cameras have a long way to go to reach the overall ease of use and performance of the AF system that I’ve been testing in the Sony A7R II.

I don’t follow Sony closely, but I can definitely say that this AF system is a big improvement over what I observed in any previous Sony camera I’ve tested up to this point – including the original A7 and A7R as well as the a6000.

What’s more astonishing is that super megapixel cameras like the Nikon D810 and Canon 5Ds/5DsR fail to match the performance of their lesser megapixel siblings, yet this camera destroys nearly every AF system I’ve ever tested. This is huge news for hobbyist photographers and parents who are always struggling to keep up with their fast moving subjects that rarely give you the perfect pose to capture a fleeing moment. As a result, we rely on good AF systems to help us get the shot, and what I’ve seen on the A7R II thus far is that it simply doesn’t get any better than this as of October 13, 2015.

BUT, make sure you have the latest firmware

I’ve been offline helping my sweet preggy wife prepare for the birth of our daughter – today (October 13, 2015) – so my distracted mind led me to forget to make sure I had the latest firmware. Typically this isn’t a huge problem when I test cameras as the firmware updates rarely have a huge impact on the images. In fact, many updates are often more about user interface bugs or extreme scenarios so they are valuable to have but they generally don’t have an impact on the quality of images that you’ll capture.

After my testing when examining the images carefully on my 4k display I did notice that my lens was suffering from a little focusing error that I didn’t notice in the field. With such a high resolution image packed on a tiny screen it’s easy to chimp and think “wow, that’s spot on”, so this is something that is easy to get burned by in the field.

When I discovered the problem I immediately checked to see if I had the latest firmware (which I usually do for review units), but sadly I discovered I had version 1.0. Firmware 1.10 or greater allegedly addresses this problem and the others issues listed below:

1. Reduces the chance of the camera changing to front focus when shooting certain scenes.
2. Decreases chroma noise when Long Exposure NR (Noise Reduction) is set to Off.
   Note: The noise does not occur when Long Exposure NR is set to On.
3. Improves continuous shooting at Hi speed so that it can be used just as long when using the flash as without the flash.

I seemed to be getting burned by issue #1 above, even though Sony claims that it rarely occurs. Click here for the US location of firmware updates if you use this camera, and make sure you get your update.

During my testing the focus was spot on or close enough in most real world scenarios, but when pixel peeping – as I must do when reviewing a camera – I noticed that there seemed to be a consistent offset from where the focus actually was and where it should be. The consistency of this error throughout my testing validated that this offset was not a general AF system because if the shots were generally focused where they should be. However if this offset issue was addressed every shot would have been 100% perfect, so this indicated that there was either a lens issue (most common) or something else (such as a general problem in the AF system). 

Normally for this type of problem, I’d do a AF microadjustment to ensure I had the most precise accuracy, but when I tried to do that with the Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS lens I was disappointed to discover that it doesn’t support AF micro adjustments.

I’ve got the latest firmware for future testing, but all images I’ve uploaded to the gallery on or before October 11, 2015 may experience this error (including all featured in this article). With this disclaimer out of the way, I’m still very impressed with the AF system in this camera in real world usage because out of the roughly 100 cameras I’ve tested in my lifetime, only the D4s has been this good or precise out of the box – even when you factor in this minor AF issue. The only real world impact of this problem are those scenarios where you do extreme crops or very large crops to view the pixels at 100% or more is that you’ll sometimes notice that adjacent areas are slightly sharper than your intended target (especially noticeable on people).

Eye AF In Action

f/4 @ 61mm for 1/320 sec at ISO 100
Even when Kai was spinning out of control, the eye AF managed to stay locked on to his eye – something that would be near impossible to do in any other system I’ve ever tested

There’s a lot of advanced features of the Sony AF system, but Sony actually does a pretty poor job documenting and touting them. As a result, I completely missed the Eye AF feature until one of my awesome blog readers, Robert Good, sent me an email to remind me to check it out. Once I used it, I was impressed to see how effective it was in real world scenarios.

Simply put, I love this feature because it really does work!

Here’s a short video that DPReview did that shows how it it locks on to an eye whenever possible, but it will switch to a face when an eye can’t be found:

To enable this feature you need to turn the auto focus system on to AF-C (Continuous) and while it is not a requirement, it seems to perform best when you set the Focus Area to  Lock-on AF Expand Flexible Spot. It doesn’t matter where your flexible spot is, but when you engage this feature it will find the eye and focus on that. Here’s the settings I used for the best results:

• Face Recognition:  Off
• Focus Area:  Lock-on AF Expand Flexible Spot
• Focus Mode:  AF-C

To engage this feature, you’ll want to program any of the custom buttons (I chose AEL) to the Eye Autofocus feature. Once you do this you’ll want to press this button and the shutter halfway to acquire an eye and then shoot as normal. It literally takes less than a second on average for the camera to find an eye, but I didn’t discover any way to force it to choose a different eye other than the one it automatically detects. This can be problematic if the eye it chooses isn’t the eye in the foreground of the scene, but in practice it usually got the one I wanted about 90% of the time.

f/4 @ 70mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 500
Under normal shooting conditions when your subject is more stationary the Eye AF system nails a perfectly focused eye which helps to capture those split second precious moments that you’ll get when photographing kids

Great, but not flawless

f/4 @ 70mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 500
No AF system I’ve ever tested, even the mighty Nikon D4s,
is completely flawless and this camera is no different.

Like any AF system, there’s still some user input required to dial in the settings for the best possible results. As a result, if you try to go beyond what Eye AF is designed to do you’ll get out of focus shots like this. This is easily fixed by simply using AF Expand Flexible Spot or sometimes even Face Recognition without the Eye AF feature. Put another way, don’t just set the AF system to one setting like Eye AF and expect 100% perfectly focused shots as you won’t get it – just like every camera I’ve ever tested for $100,000 USD or less.

More Real World Example Shots

The purpose of my real world shots have always been to just take a review camera out and use it like a typical consumer would in every day settings. This is why super high megapixel cameras like the D800 fail so miserably because they are more suitable for specialty scenarios like landscape shots on tripods, super sunny day shooting, or when used with studio lights. However, I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about how good the AF system is on the A7R II despite it being a super high megapixel camera.

With some skepticism I decided to treat this camera like a typical consumer would in one of the toughest situations – a photographing a hyper 6 year old at a playground. This is a scenario where I’d typically tell people not to even bother trying unless you have a camera with a great AF system and a super fast burst mode (to increase your odds of getting a sharp shot), and definitely never bother trying to photography kids unless you enjoy blurry photos.

Times change and technology improves, so I was actually quite impressed with the results that I got with this camera. Instead of relying on burst mode and a single AF point as I’d do with DSLR’s, I let the full magic of the AF system do its work for me to see if it was up to the task. In my opinion, it was as you can see from the shots in this article. Even allegedly “sports” cameras like the Canon 7D Mark II have failed to give me the level of auto focus accuracy on my intended focus point that I have achieved here, so the need for a super fast burst mode was less critical to get shots that captured the action (and in this case the joy of a child).

All of the camera default settings were used in aperture priority or shutter priority (those at 1/1000 sec) using Lock-on AF Expand Flexible Spot with Eye Focus engaged about 90% of the time. Shooting mode was burst mode for the shutter priority shots and single shot for the others, and I was always shooting RAW+JPEG which is the slowest performing mode possible for this camera. Nevertheless, it still did an admirable job at coming away with shots that prove its potential and demonstrates that carefully thought out shots in the hands of a creative photographer would easily be magical with the power of this AF system.

All other camera settings were at factory default including metering, white balance, etc… Click here for the beginning of a full gallery of images – including the out of focus shots where the system failed – for this AF test.

f/4 @ 49mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 400
Focus offset issue aside, I was pretty jazzed when I saw that this impossible shot for nearly any other camera was a keeper to capture the moment. Now if it could just auto erase that pesky garbage can we’d be in business!

f/4 @ 43mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 320
The default metering was a bit on the dark side in this shutter priority burst mode series, but capturing in RAW with all of these megapixels means that this is an easy fix in post-processing

f/4 @ 65mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 800
Any parent who has tried to do this style of shot of a kid coming out of a tube slide with anything but a small sensor camera (like a cellphone) on a super sunny knows how easy it is to miss this shot. I was pretty happy with the reliability at which the A7RII would come away with keepers on every attempt.

f/4 @ 54mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 100
My wife was happy to see that the Eye Focus AF feature was even easy for her to use and that it handled this scene with four eyes and glasses exactly as she hoped it would

f/4 @ 35mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 100
With kids you have lots of times where they are behind you and do something that you want to capture, so I turned completely around and shot this using Eye AF for the very first time. I was pleased with the camera performance, but less pleased with the lady on her cell phone in the background but I can’t blame Sony for that – ha, ha.

f/4 @ 24mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 250
While I was disappointed with the in-camera metering shooting this scene so dark and the AF wasn’t as precise as I think this camera is capable of achieving, I do think that most users would be plenty happy with the results form this series of burst mode shots especially after a quick touchup in Lightroom

Conclusion

See my complete a7R Mark II review here.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site.

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• Sony a3000
• Sony a6000 (includes 16-70mm lens)
• Sony a7 (includes Samyang lens)
• Sony a7R
• Sony DSC-RX1 (Full Frame Compact Camera)
• Sony DSC-RX10
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• Nikon D750 - Yeah, you want this one!
• Fujifilm X-T1
• Fujifilm X100s
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with 12-40mm PRO
• Panasonic DMC-G7 (Features 4k Video)
• Ron’s Recommendations
• Discount Coupon Codes

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Sony Electronics Introduces the Speedy New α77 II Interchangeable Lens Camera with Record-breaking 79-Point Autofocus System

Impressive New “Action Shooter” features 79 Phase Detection AF Points, 12 fps shooting for up to 60 frames, 24.3 MP APS-C sensor and more

Sony α77 II 79 AF Points, 12 fps shooting , 24.3 MP APS-C sensor and more

SAN DIEGO, May 1, 2014 – Sony Electronics’ new α77 II camera delivers an impressive combination of speed, versatility and efficiency in a tough, weather-resistant design, making it a perfect choice for fast-action photography and videography.

Building on the heritage of Sony’s much-loved original α77 and α700 cameras, the α77 II gives advanced amateurs a string of exciting enhancements including the world’s highest number of AF points in a new phase detect autofocus system¹ with 79 focal points and 15 cross points. Utilizing Sony’s unique Translucent Mirror Technology, the α77 II also has the ability to shoot at up to 12 fps for 60 total frames with continuous AF.

The speedy new camera is equipped with a high-resolution 24.3 MP image sensor and powerful BIONZ^® X processor, ensuring that still images and full HD videos are captured in sharp focus and incredible detail. Image quality compared to the original α77 has been boosted, and sensitivity has increased by approximately 20% as well. There is also a variety of new pro-friendly video functions for movie makers.

“The new A77 II is yet another strong statement for Sony in the interchangeable lens camera space” said Neal Manowitz, director of the α interchangeable lens camera division at Sony. “In addition to this camera’s impressive imaging credentials and unprecedented focusing system, it reinforces our dedication to the A-mount camera lineup and shows that we are pushing the limits of innovation in all aspects of the industry.”

New-generation 79 point phase detection AF system

The advanced AF system on the new α77 II camera features 79 phase detection AF points – the most of any dedicated AF sensor in market today – and includes 15 cross points within the central area of the sensor. Additionally, metering data from all 79 focus points is processed by a brand new AF algorithm that predicts the subject’s movement. These impressive new features combined with Sony’s powerful Translucent Mirror Technology ensure that fast-moving people, animals or any other relevant object can be tracked quickly and accurately in all types of shooting conditions.

The α77 II camera also has a centrally mounted dedicated phase detect AF sensor that supports apertures up to F2.8, ensuring maximum AF precision when using large-aperture lenses. In low light, the AF system of the camera performs admirably, accurately locking on to subjects in scenes with illumination levels as low as EV-2 (ISO100), where even the human eye has trouble discerning details.

There’s a suite of sophisticated new AF functions on the α77 II model that make the most of the unique 79-point system. Expanded Flexible Spot mode maintains focus even if the selected AF point loses track of the subject, activating eight surrounding AF points that recognize the subject. Lock-on AF mode lets users select one of four AF area modes (Wide, Zone, Flexible Spot or Expanded Flexible Spot), and can recognize and track a subject’s form based on its color and its position within the frame, automatically selecting the appropriate AF point from the 79 available

For even greater control, the degree of subject-tracking duration can be fine-tuned in five steps (when shooting still images in AF-C mode). A low setting is ideal for slow-moving subjects with predictable movements, while high settings deliver more responsive focusing for shooting different subjects at different distances, such as wildlife or sports photography. AF Tracking Duration can also be selected between High, Medium and Low during Full HD movie shooting.

Other new features include an Eye AF function that precisely detects and focuses on the subject’s eyes when photographing people. There is also AF Range Control, which allows AF to be limited to a specified range, and a Balanced Emphasis mode that provides the ideal balance between focus and release timing. Users can manually select any of the various focus modes to match the shooting situation and their creative objectives.

Shoot a continuous burst of 60 full-resolution frames at up to 12 fps

Continuous shooting stamina on the α77 II camera outpaces nearly all cameras in its class as well as many professional cameras. The new model can capture a non-stop burst of up to 60 full-resolution JPEG images at a maximum continuous shooting speed of approximately 12 frames per second with continuous AF (in Continuous Advance Priority AE mode).

24.3 megapixel Exmor^® CMOS image sensor with enhanced sensitivity

A showcase of Sony’s leading image sensor technologies, the new 24.3 megapixel Exmor^® CMOS image sensor in the α77 II camera features the same gapless on-chip lens structure as used in the acclaimed α7R and α6000 models. Thanks to an array of latest-generation imaging innovations, the sensor now offers 20% greater sensitivity than its predecessor (α77), and ensures flawless image detail and low-noises performance across the wide sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 25600.

The high-resolution sensor is partnered by the same evolved BIONZ X image processor introduced in the α7 and α7R models. Around three times faster than Sony’s previous BIONZ engine and optimized for the α77 II camera, it employs detail reproduction, diffraction-reducing and area-specific noise reduction technologies that contribute to amazing image definition and rich colors for still images and Full HD videos.

OLED Tru-Finder™ and 3-way tilting LCD

OLED Tru-Finder with 2,360,000 dot resolution

The new camera features a crisp, bright XGA OLED Tru-Finder with 2,360,000 dot resolution. With about three times higher contrast and resolving power compared to the original α77, the EVF on the new α77 II shows the effects of all settings adjustments in real-time, accurately displaying what the final image will look like. A wide viewing angle and high eye-point are complemented by a newly-expanded choice of brightness settings, and shooters have the ability to manually adjust color temperature for comfortable, accurate composition.

As featured on the full-frame α99 camera, the α77 II model also features a detail-packed 3.0-type (7.5 cm) Xtra Fine LCD that moves three ways for added convenience. The LCD also features WhiteMagic™ technology, which significantly improves screen visibility, even outdoors in direct sunlight.

Expanded Control and Customization

Evolved from the original α77 model, there are separate control dials on both sides of the grip for simpler control settings adjustments. In total, the α77 II camera has a total of 11 customizable buttons with up to 51 assignable functions.

Further, up to three frequently used groups of shooting modes and other settings can be stored in memory and recalled easily via the mode dial, and an exposure mode dial lock function has been inherited from the a99 model to prevent accidental mode changes.

Tough enough for serious enthusiasts

The tough, light magnesium body of the α77 II camera is engineered to withstand the demands of the most serious enthusiasts. It features a dust and moisture sealed design and a large, contoured grip for comfortable handling. In addition, the camera’s durable shutter unit is rated for 150,000 total shots.

Pro-style movie shooting with continuous AF

The α77 II camera can record Full HD 60p and 24p movies using the AVCHD 2.0 format. As with still shooting, Translucent Mirror Technology enables full-time phase-detection AF, ensuring accurate focus tracking with fast-moving subjects during video capture.

The camera has a number of additional features for serious movie makers, including three-level AF tracking sensitivity adjustment, a pro-style Zebra function and audio level metering. There’s also the addition of a clean HDMI^® output that allows viewing on an external monitor and recording to an external storage device without compression

Wi-Fi^® and PlayMemories™ Connectivity

On-board Wi-Fi allows one-touch connection for easy shot sharing with your Xperia^®, NFC-compatible Android™ smartphones, tablets and VAIO^® computers. A single touch also activates Smart Remote Control, linking the camera to your mobile phone enabling you to fire the shutter from a distance.

For devices without NFC one-touch capabilities, users can wirelessly transfer images and videos and activate Smart Remote Control through Sony’s free PlayMemories Mobile™ application, available for the iOS and Android platforms.

Sony α Lenses, Accessories and New “α Library” App for Tablets

Sony A77 Mark II Translucent Mirror DSLR with 16-50mm/2.8 lens

Covering focal lengths from wide angle to telephoto, a family of 32 A-mount lenses offers an extensive choice of creative tools for visual expression, including several premium models from Carl Zeiss® and G Series Lenses.

The new α77 II camera is compatible with a range of versatile α accessories including microphones, flashes and more, and is designed to work the optional VG-C77AM grip, which enhances camera operability and versatility during vertical shooting.

Sony has also released a new photography-themed “α Library” application for tablets. This new app showcases the entire lineup of α lenses, including key information and specifications, in the “α Lens Catalog” section, and also includes access to a semiannual “α Magazine” lifestyle publication that showcases fun photography stories, tips, techniques and more. The new α Library is now available for download on Google Play and the iOS App Store.

Pricing and Availability

The Sony α77 II interchangeable lens camera will be available in June 2014 in a kit with a 16-50mm F2.8 lens (model SAL1650) for a suggested retail price of $1800. It will also be offered separately as a body for a suggested retail price of $1200.

The new camera and all compatible lenses and accessories will be available at Sony retail stores (www.store.sony.com) and other authorized dealers nationwide.

Please follow #SonyAlpha on twitter for the latest α camera news.

Conclusion

Sony keeps upping its game, so if this camera performs anything like the incredible a7/a7R that I tested, then this one could end up being a big hit!

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order at Adorama. Additional links will be added when I get them. Contact me if they aren’t here when you are ready to place your order.

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If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Sony a3000
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• Sony DSC-RX100 II vs RX100 I
• Sony NEX-7

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

REVIEW: Sony Alpha a7–Cheaper and More Practical than the a7R

Sony Alpha a7 Mirrorless Digital Camera

The Sony a7R that I reviewed impressed the hell out of me. It’s a very, very good camera that will blow peoples minds when its paired with great lenses. However, it had some shortcomings in terms of everyday usability that had me wondering if the Sony a7 was the better choice for those who can only see more than just megapixel statistics.

Body wise the a7 is identical to the a7R which is a good thing, because this is a very good camera body. The menu system usability leaves a lot to be desired, but the wealth of buttons, knobs and feature all result in pleasant shooting experience. What’s more, features like focus peaking are super handy when manually focusing.

The burst mode of this camera and its AF performance are sufficient enough that I feel good recommending this camera for parents – with one caveat – shoot in shutter priority or manual mode. However, one huge limitation of this camera is the lack of a built in flash so save money for an external flash – which sadly takes away some of the portability of this camera.

This camera is a little hefty as compared to other mirrorless cameras, but it feels well enough built that it should hopefully stand up to wear and tear well.

As I mentioned in my a7R review (which I suggestion you read), the electronic viewfinder (EVF) is brilliant. What’s more the rear screen is very good and this camera will even display images at a full 4k (3840×2160 pixels / 8.3MP) if you hook it up to a 4k TV.

Which is better, the Sony a7 vs a7R?

Now before the Sony fan boys get their panties in a bunch, YES I do agree that the image quality of the a7R is indeed superior to the a7. However, it’s a bit like saying a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is faster than a Bugatti Veyron original – both the a7R and a7 are excellent, so you aren’t getting a bad camera with either one. What’s more in typical web posting and print sizes your spouse won’t likely see the advantage of the a7R over the a7 – when you are using a tripod.

Like all super megapixel cameras, the a7R requires higher shutterspeeds to get a crisp shot than its lesser megapixel sibling, so if you are shooting handheld the odds of getting a blurry shot with the a7R go up. This is why I strongly believe that if you handheld shoot under normal lighting conditions more than you use your tripod or studio lights then the a7 is the better camera in terms of usability. Of course the inverse is true too – if you are primarily a studio shooter or landscape photographer who always uses a tripod then by all means go for the a7R. In the real world that’s a small number of people, so if you are new to cameras of this caliber then you’ll be much happier with the a7. What’s more, if you have kids the superior burst mode performance and hand holding friendliness of the a7 will serve you much better than those blurry and out of focus extra megapixels on the a7R you thought you had to have because it has more megapixels.

Here’s a good video from DigitalRev TV that definitely mirrors many of my observations of these two cameras (well, except for the last part about the colors <g>):

Bookshelf Test

The following shots are done on a tripod with all camera default settings except I also enable RAW. The full gallery of bookshelf images can be found HERE, but I’ve included a noteworthy images below. Please keep in mind that the images are not crooked – the camera is level, but the bookshelf has sagged over time due to weight so I use camera level instead of adjusting the camera for a level shot of the bookshelf.

f/2.8 @ 35 mm, 3.2s, ISO 100, No Flash

Like the a7R, the image quality and color is fantastic. Yes, the a7R has an advantage (comparable image) but this is pretty freakin spectacular. All bookshelf testing was done using the same camera settings and environment with the Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA lens.

If you want to fault this camera, fault it for its price, but not its image quality. High ISO performance is pretty impressive too – especially when you turn in-camera noise reduction OFF and use Noiseware (Tutorial) as I discussed in my a7R article.

Please read my a7R article bookshelf test results as the only difference here is that the a7 seems to be just a little softer and ironically (and perhaps counter intuitively) exhibits a little more bokeh in the test images.

Lenses Tested

In addition to the FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Kit Lens, I also used these lenses during my review:

Samyang 85mm f/1.4 Aspherical IF Lens for APS-C Sony E-Mount Cameras

B&H tells me this is a hot selling lens so they encouraged me to try it out for this review, but in retrospect I probably should have tested out the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 ED AS IF UMC Lens for Sony E Mount. The reason why is that I wasn’t super impressed with the 85mm. It’s a cheap lens and it performs like a cheap lens which I think diminishes the quality that possible from this sensor, so if you are the type of person who would put no-name generic tires on a luxury sports car then this lens is for you.

In the photo gallery, photos from this lens do not have aperture information and the lens is simply shown as --- in the metadata. In my testing I felt like f/5.6 and f/8 gave the best results, but it had the most chromatic aberrations that I’ve seen from a lens in a long time.

Honestly, if you’ve really gotta go cheap on the lenses I’d suggest choosing from Sigma’s selection of Sony E-Mount lenses.

Sony Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA Lens

I tested this lens with the a7R, so I had to test it with this camera (especially for the bookshelf shots where I knew people would want to do comparisons between the two cameras). This is a very good lens that will satisfy you more than the more flexible kit zoom lens, but the range is hard to work with. Personally, I’d still buy the zoom for its practical use and pick up the Sony 55mm over the 35mm.

I will be testing the Sony A-Mount to E-Mount Lens Adapter with Translucent Mirror Technology adaptor, but I didn’t have any test images at the time I wrote this article.

Real World Sample Images

The following images come from in-camera JPEG’s using the camera default noise reduction settings. Most camera settings are the default with the exception of RAW+JPEG, a desired White Balance, a desired focus point, and occasionally a desired creative style being used.

I’ve included the designations Kit and Samyang to denote when I used the kit lens versus the Samyang for 85mm images. If no designation and 35mm, then the 35mm prime was used.

All images are copyright Ron Martinsen – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

f/5.6 @ 70 mm, 1/100, ISO 6400, No Flash
Gorgeous color and sharpness even with the kit lens and high ISO

f/4.5 @ 28 mm, 1/100, ISO 5000, No Flash, Manual Focus, Handheld
Using focus peaking I was able to easily dial manual focus to emphasize inside the flower

f/4.5 @ 42 mm, 1/100, ISO 2000, No Flash
The kit lens does a decent job

f/? @ 85 mm (Samyang), 1/100, ISO 640, No Flash, Manual Focus
This shot made me get excited about the Samyang lens, but it would often disappointed.
Having to shoot manual focus also means a higher number of blurry shots when handheld

f/4 @ 35 mm, 1/80, ISO 1000, No Flash
The 35mm is a pretty sweet lens

f/4 @ 40 mm, 1/125, ISO 1600, No Flash
Kids are best shot using M mode with AF on, but even with the kit the results are great
Be sure to look at the eyes if you open the original

f/4.5 @ 43 mm, 1/60, ISO 3200, No Flash
This is almost D600 good, and it’s good enough if you ask me

f/9 @ 35 mm, 1/40, ISO 6400, No Flash
Great dynamic range and metering under tough conditions

f/5.6 @ 35 mm, 1/60, ISO 5000, No Flash, Shade WB
The ultimate camera torture test, but it did well (except for horrible internal noise reduction)

f/3.5 @ 28 mm, 1/60, ISO 6400, No Flash
Unless I used flexible spot focus points, I’d often get blurry shots like this

f/3.2 @ 35 mm, 1/60, ISO 320, No Flash
The spot AF is good and the 35mm is razor sharp

f/3.5 @ 28 mm, 1/125, ISO 6400, No Flash
Tough conditions, but I felt the a7 handled it well

 
f/2.8 @ 85 mm (Samyang), 1/60, ISO 2500, No Flash, Manual Focus, Handheld
This camera will get the most out of any lens. Notice how sharp
the eyes look with no editing. Now listen for my wife beating me for sharing this no makeup photo with you!

Samyang chromatic aberrations on the handle are easy to see here
NOTE: Green here is a reflection from a green object in the background

Conclusion

This camera will have you taking pictures of everything again
f/4 @ 40 mm, 1/60, ISO 6400, No Flash, Heavily Edited (Original)

This is the kind of camera that gets you excited about photography and its compact size makes you want to take it everywhere. From an excellent electronic viewfinder (this and the a7R are the only ones I’d really use) to outstanding image quality, this is a camera that will delight most users.

With my only gripes being the lack of a built-in flash and the same gripes I have about every Sony camera, I can easily give this camera my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION. What’s more, if I had to choose a camera that was released in 2013 that impressed me the most, this would definitely be the one that stole the show. In fact, if I were going to buy a mirrorless camera, this would be the one (and yes, even more so than the Fujifilm X-E2).

Now, if it could just catch up to Fujifilm in terms of high quality lens offerings I think it would definitely give Fujifilm cause for concern. In fact, from a image quality standpoint Canon and Nikon should be worried as well!

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order this camera on the B&H web site. My friends at Amazon have it available here.

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Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.